Eccleshill United returned to second place as the race for the possible promotion place behind runaway Toolstation NCEL Premier Division leaders Grimsby Borough continued to gather pace in midweek.

A hat-trick from Talent Ndlovu, two from the penalty spot, helped the Eagles to a 4-1 home win over Albion Sports with Luke Aldrich grabbing the other goal as they leapfrogged Garforth Town into the top two.

Sports, whose goal came courtesy of an equaliser from Aran Basi, remain two points above the drop zone.

Penistone Church and Sherwood Colliery were both victorious 2-1 on their own patch to keep their hopes of a promotion place alive.

Reece High and Bradley Kemp netted for Church as they beat Maltby Main and they are now two points off second spot, Joseph Austin grabbed an injury time consolation for their visitors who stay seventh.

Fifth-placed Sherwood, meanwhile, are four points behind Eccleshill after they dispatched Silsden AFC in similar fashion with Gareth Curtis and Lewis Belgrave getting on the scoresheet before Antony Brown pulled one back for the away side late on.

Winterton Rangers's seventh successive league victory sees them stay sixth, six points away from the top two, a Josh Walker brace, added to by goals from Steven Ridley, Lee Ridley and Daniel Walker, claimed a 5-0 win at Bottesford Town.

Emley AFC spring up into twelfth after a 3-1 win at basement side Athersley Recreation, Nico Georgiou-Nicola putting the hosts ahead in the first half before goals in the final quarter-of-an-hour from Kane Swinburn, Donae Lawrence and Alex Metcalfe secured the points for the Pewits.

Neither of the top two sides are giving any ground in the chase for the Division One title with wins for both leaders Hallam and the team three points behind them, North Ferriby.

Kieran Watson, Iren Wilson, Brandon Bradbury and Liam Royles scored for Hallam in a 4-0 win at Selby Town that dents the hosting Robins' play-off ambitions.

Ferriby, meanwhile, overcame a stubborn Rainworth Miners Welfare at the Dransfield Stadium, Richard Medcalf and Danny Emerton finding the net either side of the interval before George Simpson scored a late penalty for the Wrens in a 2-1 victory for the hosts.

Those results set up perhaps the biggest game of the season so far when the top two meet at Sandygate on Saturday.

Rossington Main now have a seven point cushion in the play-offs after Gregory Young's first half injury time strike saw them win 1-0 at Armthorpe Welfare.

The side just outside the top five, Retford FC, meanwhile were thrashed 5-0 at Ollerton Town, George Slack's double helping the hosts to the win that moves Stephen Bodle's men up into eleventh.

Teversal's first clean sheet of the season in a goalless draw at home to Swallownest staved off relegation but the bottom side are seventeen points behind their opponents, who are just outside the drop zone, with six games to play so it is sadly only delaying the inevitable.

A 6-2 loss at Parkgate keeps FC Humber United in danger, five points away from safety, as they conceded four late goals, including a hat-trick for Max Rhodes, to turn a game that looked like it was going to end in a draw into a defeat.

And, Mark Fereday scored twice for Dronfield Town as they cantered to a 5-1 home win over Hall Road Rangers, a win that lifts Chris Millington's team up into thirteenth whilst Rangers drop a place to twelfth.

Photo: Lewis Belgrave celebrates scoring the second goal in Sherwood Colliery's 2-1 home win over Silsden AFC in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division on Tuesday evening, a victory that moves his side to within four points of the top two. (Picture: Ryan Crockett Photography)